"Zhang Yan, have you neglected military affairs lately? I gave you the best soldiers and the best equipment, and you've lost so many men?"
Zhang Yan, commander of the Black Mountain Army at the end of the Han Dynasty, was 34 years old.
Command: 89 Strength: 95 Intelligence: 71 Politics: 62 Charisma: 80
Personality: 1. Flying Swallow (Special personality, grants +50% mobility to your own troops, and immunity to ZOC)
2. Morale 3. Dedicated Efforts 4. Sweep 5. Recruitment 6. Forest Warfare
In reality, only a small number of the troops Zhao Hao gave to Zhang Yan were elite soldiers. And none of these elite soldiers were killed in the battle.
The rest were mostly soldiers transferred from various places, and their weapons and armor were not of the same type.
So Zhao Hao's words were nonsense; he was just bullying Zhang Yan.
Zhao Hao understood that Zhang Yan was not a suitable infantry commander at the moment, but since there was no one else available, he had no choice but to put Zhang Yan in charge.
"This humble general has failed Lord Qin, and the Holy...and Lady's nurturing; I beg Lord Qin to punish me!"
Zhao Hao smiled, patted Zhang Yan's shoulder lightly, and helped her up.
"We've known each other for so long, cousin, you really can't joke around like that."
Zhang Yan's lips twitched. This was an old, tired joke, why was Zhao Hao still using it?
"The Duke of Qin's status is no longer what it used to be, how can it be treated lightly? If the Duke of Qin wants to punish, Yan will not even flinch."
Zhao Hao waved his hand dismissively, "You're just too serious, like a silent gourd."
Has your junior sister ever told you that you won't win girls' hearts this way?
Zhang Yan was stunned for a long time before she managed to utter a single word.
"have..."
Zhao Hao immediately laughed, pulled Zhang Yan to sit down inside the tent, and poured him a cup of wine.
"Sigh, you still know she's your junior sister? You two are like siblings, you grew up together and your bond is even stronger than that of real brothers and sisters."
So don't be so reserved around me! Come on, you've been working all day, have a drink first.
"military.."
"Don't tell me about the military prohibiting alcohol. I'm the rule, and I'm ordering you to drink!"
Zhang Yan had no choice but to go along with Zhao Hao.
Seeing that Zhang Yan, who was usually quiet, was not saying anything, Zhao Hao slowly spoke while pouring wine.
"You know, compared to the commanders of the major legions, your abilities are indeed a bit lacking."
However, you also have your strengths.
My cousin has a great task in mind. It's not difficult and won't involve bloodshed, but to complete it, he'll have to endure a lot of hardship.
My dear cousin, what do you say?
Zhang Yan frowned slightly. Now that Tongguan had fallen, the next step was simply to besiege Chang'an.
What does Zhao Hao want him to do?
Could it be... that he used his skills to infiltrate Chang'an and assassinate Dong Zhuo?
After thinking it over, Zhang Yan quickly got up from her seat and knelt on one knee.
"Young master, do you require me to assassinate the traitor Dong Zhuo? If so, I am willing to go, and I will gladly die for your grand plan!"
Zhao Hao sighed. Is this all there is to these people's minds?
"You're not an assassin, why would I ask you to carry out an assassination?"
What, you really think your cousin can't defeat Dong Zhuo fair and square?
Zhang Yan's forehead was already covered in black lines. If the person in front of him wasn't Zhao Hao, he would have cursed him out loud, saying "Damn it, get out of here!"
"Then... please tell me, Your Excellency, what exactly do you require me to do?"
Zhao Hao grinned slightly and took out a silk scroll from his pocket.
Above, boldly written, were the words 'Dong Zhuo's Plan to Establish Himself'...
In May, Zhao Hao's army moved in a surprisingly unified manner. After capturing Tongguan, they stopped advancing and did not besiege Chang'an.
Within Chang'an City, no one knew what mischief Zhao Hao was plotting this time.
Until, a strange silk scroll appeared in Chang'an and in other places under Dong Zhuo's control.
'The Han emperor has died, and the empire is in chaos. The Great Xia dynasty has risen, and King Zhongying has come to power!'
'Those who replace the Han dynasty are but a thousand miles of grass.'
Countless strange proverbs and nursery rhymes suddenly arose.
In June, auspicious omens even appeared in Liangzhou and various places in Jingzhao Prefecture.
In reality, it's just some rare animals being used to create a story, presented as legendary 'auspicious omens'.
Some officials in Chang'an who had received favors from Dong Zhuo naturally went to Dong Zhuo's residence to persuade him not to listen to rumors and do anything out of line.
But the view is quite different when it comes to military commanders.
"Grand Tutor, don't listen to the nonsense of those aristocratic families who only know how to read books. If you can ascend to the supreme position now, it will definitely put all the brothers at ease."
Now that the throne has been lost, the people of the land are filled with anxiety. If the Grand Tutor were to raise his voice, perhaps the situation could be reversed, pacifying the loyal followers within and attracting the support of those who have benefited from the Grand Tutor, such as Liu Yan and Liu Biao.
"If we offer him a higher position, we can surely create a powerful momentum and force Zhao Hao's army to retreat!"
Duan Wei frowned. This Jia Xu had never shown his true colors before. He had only once offered a plan to enfeoff a large number of lords in Guandong to cause chaos, and then he disappeared for a long time.
Today, unexpectedly, he met with Dong Zhuo with Duan Wei, and even did what Duan Wei wanted to do.
And...it seems she did it even better than Duan Wei!
Duan Wei loathed this guy who was using his cousin's name even more; why should he get all the good things?
"Oh? Wenhe, is that really what you think?"
Ironically, Dong Zhuo trusted Jia Xu more than he trusted Duan Wei.
There's nothing we can do; Jia Xu truly made significant contributions.
It seems that Duan Wei only entered officialdom by virtue of Duan Jiong's name, but he did not make any significant contributions to the Xiliang army.
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